Hollywood Takes Step To Preserve Property

Commission Gives Initial Ok To Districts

July 27, 1995|By DAVID CAZARES Staff Writer

HOLLYWOOD - — City officials are one step away from establishing historic preservation districts that will protect the city's architectural treasures.

On Wednesday, the City Commission approved on first reading an ordinance creating three protected areas: one for businesses along Hollywood Boulevard, one for homes on Harrison and Tyler streets between 10th and 17th avenues, and one for the Lakes section in eastern Hollywood.

A final vote is scheduled for Sept. 27.

The historic districts would include the Young House, at 1055 Hollywood Blvd., and the Hollywood Women's Club, at 501 N. 14th Ave.

If approved, the plan will require owners of buildings declared historic to clear any major renovation, addition or demolition with the city's Historic Preservation Board.

"It puts the teeth in historic preservation," said Jud Kurlancheek, director of Hollywood's community planning division.

Without a historic district, the city's oldest properties could be demolished at the whims of owners, Kurlancheek said.

Some residents weren't entirely happy, however, because the plan doesn't yet include Young Circle, the Hollywood Beach Golf and Country Club or the Art and Culture Center.

"We are [particularly) hard pressed to understand the omission of Young Circle," said Linda Bolanos Wilson, president of the Hollywood Lakes Section Civic Association.

Kurlancheek said Young Circle was not included because the park has changed so much in the past 70 years, and it is not clear which era should be preserved.

He said, for example, city officials may want to restore the bandstand to what it was when built in the 1950s, but also include landscaping and walkways from previous decades.

Mayor Mara Giulianti said she wants Young Circle to be protected, but the issue needs more study.

"I certainly want to be on the record as wanting that park always preserved as a park; it will be," Giulianti said. "But whether or not it's going to be what it was in the '20s, I could not take a position."

Commissioners agreed, directing city planners to include Young Circle at a later date.

Once the historic districts are set up, homeowners will be able to obtain tax credits to restore their houses, said Jane Day, president of Research Atlantica Inc. of Coral Springs. The city also will be able to obtain matching state grants to preserve some structures, she said.

Day said more than 1,000 sites in Hollywood will be studied to see whether they qualify. Ideally, she said, preservationists would like to study original building permits. Because that is often not possible, interviews with the original owners or their families may be necessary.

The districts could help tourism, Day said, because state studies show that 75 percent of the people on vacation want to see historic sites on their visit.

"They don't just want to see beaches and golf clubs," she said. "They can get that anywhere in the U.S."